Jesus, let it begin with me…

I am not even kidding… one right after the other – from basic stuff like the weather, to edgy political rants that went on and on for days. It’s enough to suck the life right out of a girl (or at least drive her offline for a few days). But then something amazing happened.

Easter came.

And then what flooded my newsfeed?

Life.

Victory.

Celebration.

Hope.

Jesus.

Sweet relief.

Attitudes catch on – in online conversations and across our dinner tables – and it got me thinking about the powerful impact our individual “voices” have on those around us.

Peter was noticing it – this wave of dissension among believers in the midst of suffering – so much so that it was time to put a stop to it…

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. ~ 1 Peter 3:8-9

They must have been suffering for a while. Evil was sucking the life right out of them. I’m sure they were weary from the fight. It had even gotten to the point where it was affecting their most intimate relationships. After all, we can only take so much of the pressure cooker before we explode, right?

You’ve tried to remain positive, but everyone around you is constantly bringing you down.

You’ve prayed for your unbelieving husband for years, and still nothing.

You’ve fought your way out of the vicious downward spiral, only to slip up again.

Your prodigal child has broken your heart once more.

You submit to God, only to be ridiculed for your beliefs.

You give and give and give some more, and you wonder when it’s going to be your turn. “When will anyone ever see me? Love me?”

I get it. I’ve been there.

One person complains, and it’s contagious. Misery really does love company. The truth is the solidarity may even make us feel better momentarily – to know that we aren’t the only ones out there suffering in the wilderness. But like I tell my kids when I break up a quarrel among them…

There’s already enough negativity in the world.

You were made for more than this.

Since Jesus has changed you, live like Jesus has changed you.

Let blessing begin with you.

It’s never easy to break the cycle, but someone has to if this world is ever going to be different.

Jesus broke the cycle.

The world was in a downward spiral of negativity and sin. Evil abounded. Quarrels divided. Nations disagreed on power, politics and on the validity of a man. Could he be the Messiah, or was he nothing more than a series of parables and empty promises?

And then the empty tomb.

Life. Victory. Celebration. Hope. Truth. JESUS.

Sweet relief.

Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. ~ 1 Peter 3:10-11

As much as it depends on you, you’ll live in peace with all men (Rom. 12:18).

Because there’s already enough pollution in the air around us. Because Jesus died for that. Because God gets glory when I live in a way that is countercultural to every last bandwagon that secular culture elevates above the name of my Savior.

We were made for more than this.

Since Jesus has changed us, let’s live like Jesus has really changed us.

Father, let the blessing begin with me…

At His feet,

*LET’S TALK: Where do you need to begin this week?

21 Comments

Kathy
on April 8, 2015 at 6:17 am

you hit the nail on the head with this one! I had the same reaction last week when reading through my fb posts. And I too was a the point where I just didn’t want to see all the negativity anymore, feeling like the ‘world’ was coming against Christians like I never thought I would see in my lifetime. Then I remembered that we had already been warned about times like this and that regardless of what the world says or our government does, we are the victorious ones, we are the ones with heaven and eternity with Christ to look forward to. Therefore we must represent Christ with love and integrity, and stand for our faith without becoming a stumbling block to those who are watching to see what we will do. Stand strong in the faith and look up, because the days are evil and our redemption is closer now than the day we first believed. God bless

There is one person in my life who is so negative, she sucks the happy out of almost every situation. I have tried and tried and tried to be positive, to use Biblical advice and help her see what she does. She looks for reasons to be angry and have a problem with someone.
It seems like nothing I say to her is right or like it falls on deaf ears. I get so frustrated! Especially when I realize her negativity is affecting MY attitude:/
I guess that’s where I need to start. I need to pray and ask God to renew my spirit, to give me the grace to understand and deal with her in the correct manner. Thank you so much for this post, Whitney! Your words kicked my positivity in to gear.

Oh Beth, you said it exactly. We try to solve the other person’s problem and end up drawn into the negativity ourselves. Love the phrase “kicked my positivity into gear.” I needed that tonight.
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)

Beth,
What you said hit home with me. I have 3 sisters, and one of them is exactly as you just described the person you know. She is always criticizing, trying to start something among us sisters and our Mom. It is so hard to be around her sometimes. She won’t look for the good in people, only sees the negative. I have tried praying, then it never changed so “forgot” to keep praying. The Lord does things in His time. You have reminded me that I need to keep praying always. Thanks for your input.

You did an excellent job of explaining those scriptures. I thank you so much for giving me a clearer understanding of them and how to put them into everyday living. Thank you for this post and its simplicity. Blessings to you and your family.

I heard a radio commentary that asked “If Jesus appeared beside you right this minute and said he was to spend the rest of the day with you, what would your face look like? What would you do? What kinds of things would you share with Him? What would you NOT do or say? And once you have a clear imagine of this day

Sheila, Oh to live so that I am not ashamed to have Jesus beside me (since He is with me all the time anyway). Thank you for the encouragement to live a life pleasing to the One Who is Worthy!
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)

I have been loving this study in 1 Peter. These verse really focus on the fundamental practices that we should be doing every day but we quickly forget them and quit doing it. If we want to have an impact for Christ in the world we must follow them. We must love other believers. We must graciously respond when we are wronged. We must pursue righteousness. And we must faithfully trust in God’s goodness and not try to get revenge when we are wronged.

We were recently in a family issue. One of my husbands brothers was refusing to go along with everyone else and our response was initially wrong. W thankfully didn’t respond to him directly but we discussed with each other what to do about it. But then we asked a pastor about it and he encouraged us to just pay for it ourselves, but not out of a motive to just stop the conflict but from a motive of glorifying God. And then we study these verses which just affirm that is the way to go in this. I can see that I need to examine everything under the guidance of Scripture. It really does hold the answers!

Jnel, Your situation sounds much like a few in my life right now. In my study today, I realized that I am an “overlooker” and that it is totally okay. God sees & knows. Praying for your family situation to work out for God’s glory.
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)

Love this Whitney!
So thankful that Jesus broke the cycle because it means we can too! We can speak life and give comfort and ooze joy because of the empty tomb. But I sometimes forget. Thank you for this reminder!

Thank you for this post and the reminder that we were made for more!!! I am loving the study! What goes down between God, me and my bible each morning has been really blowing my mind and shaking the covers off my ways that are not of Christ!!

Sweet Kathleen, How difficult a situation is when we have been waiting on God to move for a long time! It seems that our most intimate relationships are sometimes the most painful. I pray that God continues to work in your heart to completely depend on Him as He works.
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Hi and welcome to LGG! I’m so glad you’re here! Love God Greatly exists to inspire, encourage and equip women all over the world to get into God’s Word through our online community. LGG has multiple online Bible studies and resources created with YOU in mind! So grab some friends and join us or journey with us solo…..either way you are welcome here!